A Walk Through The Underworld. --Underground Tiger

In Greek mythology, Hades is the brother of Zeus and Poseidon, and the ruler of the underworld. He has been called 'the Rich One' since he enriches himself on our sadness and tears. His domian (usually called simply 'Hades'> is quite elaborate.

There are five rivers: Acheron is the river of woe, Cocytus is the river of lamentation, Phlegethon is the river of fire, Lethe is the river of oblivion, and Styx is the river of hate.

Erebus is the first to greet the newly deceased, as he is the god of darkness, and the tunnel that the dead must walk through to get to Hades. When souls have passed through this tunnel, they are brought to a dank marsh (an intersection of the rivers Styx, Acheron, Phlegethon, and Cocytus), which is filled with ravenous serpents. There, souls are met by Charon.

Charon is the only one who can ferry them across the marsh, and get them into Hades without upsetting the guard; a giant three-headed dog with a snake for a tail, named Cerberus, given the power to swallow eternal souls.. The catch? Charon charges a fee of one silver coin. If a soul can not pay, they must remain in the darkness of Erebus to wander the banks of the river Styx. For this reason, the Greeks would slip a silver coin under the touge of a loved one shortly after death. The Romans did the same, with one on each eye.

If one was lucky enough to have been able to pay Charon's fee, they would reach the gates of Hades, and were met by three judges. Each soul was to tell their life's story, with no detail overlooked. Once finished, the judges would decide if they would turn right, to the fields of Elysium, or turn left, to Tartarus.

Elysium is the land of eternal happiness, filled with laughter, flowers, and endless sources of amusement. Hades' own palace is built on the entrance to the fields. When souls entered Elysium, they drank from the river Lethe and forgot everything of their lives before.

Tartarus, on the other hand, is a fortress of torment, with thick bronze walls. It is where Zeus imprisoned the monsters he defeated, and where a soul is sent if they were greedy and malicious in life.

The only way out of the domain of Hades is blocked by Cerberus. So, if a soul escapes the realm to which they were sentenced, then those who didn't want to spend eternity in Elysium or Tartarus would instead spend that time in the gut of a giant dog. There are legends, however, of Hades allowing gods and heroes to return to Earth.. For a price.



So, if one minute you're surrounded by crying loved ones, and the next minute you're in a dark, smelly swamp, and an ugly demon in a boat, holding a lanturn, reaches out to you, check your pockets.. Quickly..

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